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"A very idle little fiefdom" -- TTTV in the 90s

Sparked by the Ray Fitzwalter book (January 2010)

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ST
Standby
Horribly sorry for bumping an old thread with my very first post, but is this book worth buying, or are there any others that people would recommend about ITV (or indeed BBC) history. I have an interest on the more technical side of things, but I will consider anything really.

The other book I own is called 'And Finally - The Story of ITN', which was released like the previous book in 2005, it's written by Richard Lindley and it's quite in-depth in it's length, but having read the whole book it's very formative and gives quite an inside look into ITN's history such as the creation and axing of News At Ten, why News At One could have been News At 12. There's loads more but my mind's a bit fuzzy as it's been a while since I read it, but it's a good read.

Yep, I'd definitely recommend that book - great read. I'd also recommend 'Morning Glory' which is a good one on breakfast tv and 'Granada Television the first generation' focusing on the early days of Granada - pretty good.
JO
Jonny
Strange coincidence that I should be reading this book and share the same sentiments as the OP; I missed this thread first time round so thanks for bumping!

I felt Raymond Fitzwalterīs assertion that the North East franchise was a neglecated one was a cheap, throwaway comment no doubt stemming from Granadaīs failure to secure TTTVīs franchise. It was highly ignorant of the stationīs diverse achievements on a regional level. But, as with most of the small-medium franchisees, the company was doomed the moment the Broadcasting Act was passed. The plans Granada submitted during the franchise round would have been just as destructive as YTVīs.

Aside from this, the book is a fascinating read.
GS
Gavin Scott Founding member
Having enjoyed this discussion I'm going to read some of these titles.

Thanks, chaps.
LI
Lightoftruth
They haven't even bothered doing all the regions on ITV1 HD Wink

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